The SFSS Women’s Centre at SFU grew out of the Simon Fraser Student Society’s Women’s Caucus, which held its first meetings in 1968. The Women’s Centre first opened in 1974. Some of our key early issues included childcare, access to birth control and abortion, and sexual assault support.

Currently, the SFSS Women’s Centre is a department of the Simon Fraser Student Society . We are funded both by the SFSS and the Graduate Student Society. We aim to offer a safe space inspired by our five-point mandate, and we hope that you want to join us in our commitment to oppose to all forms of oppression.

We guide our work, the services that we provide and how we treat one another from the Women’s Centre five point mandate. The mandate is a set of principles we all agree to follow and it is proposed and reviewed by the Women’s Centre Collective.

The Women’s Centre is:

Pro-feminist: Committed to the struggle for women’s rights and is opposed to all forms of oppression.

Sex-positive: Committed to providing accurate, non-judgmental information on sexual health and sexual activity/inactivity that promotes pleasure, safety, and informed choices across all genders, orientations and expressions.

Trans & Intersex Inclusive: Committed to ensuring that the rights of trans and intersex people are respected across campus. Trans and intersex women are always welcome in our space, including our 24/7 lounge. Gender policing will not be tolerated anywhere in the Women’s Centre.

Pro-choice: Committed to ensuring reproductive rights and justice for all, including non-judgmental information on abortion and pregnancy, and support for parents and families.

Anti-racist: Committed to a zero-tolerance policy on racism and centering Indigenous and racialized voices.

SERVICES

Regardless of your orientation or identity, the Women’s Centre is a space that is dedicated to providing education and services to all visitors, including allies. So, feel free to stop by anytime to ask us questions, access our library, eat your lunch on our couches, or just say hi to staff and volunteers.

The Women’s Centre provides services to students of all genders, including

24/7 Lounge Area: Open to all self-identified women from the SFU community! The lounge is a great place to study and hang out with other women.We have chairs, couches, and blankets for napping, and a fully equipped kitchen and fridge for making your own food. We also offer a phone, pads and tampons, safer sex supplies, tea, coffee, snacks and canned food, and information on support resources across the Lower Mainland – all for free! Trans and intersex women are welcome in the lounge and gender policing will not be tolerated in this space.

All Genders Resource Area: Open to folks of all genders! Here you can find our helpful Coordinator and Resource Assistant, an amazing intersectional library with over 5000 resources, as well as crisis referrals and peer support. We have a couch for you to hang out on, as well as a microwave, kettle, and a small fridge. You can also find some of our specialty outreach items, such as free pregnancy tests, safer sex supplies and menstrual supplies. This area is open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm.